Not So Identical
by Izane Sunstrider
Summary: Pitch is rising once again, but he's much more stronger; strong enough that not even Jack Frost can face him. But maybe that's exactly what the Guardians need. A bit more, Jack. WARNING: OCs. May cause laughing box to break; read at your own risk. :):)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is my first fanfiction, so, pweaty pwease no flames? I will be constantly trying to update, as to not disappoint, but I would still appreciate reviews! Thank ya very much! **

Chapter 1: 2012- LYNN'S POV

"Come on, Lynn! What are ya waiting for? How long does it take to brush your teeth?" My friend, Autumn, yelled from the other end of the house. I sighed. I had promised her that we would go ice skating today, and she will not get off my case. I mean, I just got up! I'm not a miracle worker.

I looked in the mirror, examining the surface that showed my replica. I had light blond hair that went down to my shoulders. My eyes were bright blue and full of excitement. I had a face full of freckles and a mischievous smile, which I did not earn on my own. Autumn's mischief had been rubbing off on me.

My mind wandered as I started to brush my teeth. I thought about the lake we were going to, about the new ice skates we got for Christmas, about the fun we would have...

"Hey, Lynny, guess what? I broke the record!" Autumn barged into the bathroom, waving a stopwatch in my face. I grinned. About three days ago, A guy named Darek had bragged that he could get ready for the day in 4 minutes flat. Autumn had retorted that she could get ready within 2-3 minutes. An all-out war started and ended with a bet: if Autumn beat his score in five days, then Darek would have to eat a plateful of whatever we told him to eat. If Autumn lost, then she would have to wear Mrs. Venedry's clothes for a week. A fair bet; I was good with either side, but, seeing that she is my friend...

"2 minutes and thirty-four seconds! Care to join me in the department of Bet-winning?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her turquoise eyes.

Autumn had golden blond hair that hung down to her waste. She was tall and fit, which led people to believe the lie that she actually ate healthy. I swear, that girl has the stomach of an elephant. She was wearing a green t-shirt and a blue jacket, though in my opinion she should've been wearing a coat. She wore black khakis and, to my surprise, she was actually wearing the boots I gave her for Christmas. Autumn was a trickster at heart. She always carried around a leather satchel, which just so happens to be filled with a years-long-collected pranking kit. She had the attention span of an over-caffeinated mouse, and even though she was thirteen, she sometimes acts as if she were seven.

"Sure, just let me finish getting ready. Oh, and go get the camera." When she left, I smiled to myself. Little did either of them know that my record was 1 minute and 12 seconds. Oh, whatever, I thought. Let her enjoy it while it lasts.

When I was finished getting ready, Autumn and I started to sneak down the hallway towards Darek's room. Many of the other kids in the orphanage were still asleep, so we tried to be as quiet as possible. I reached for the doorknob, but Autumn slapped my hand away.

"What do you think you're doing, Mrs. Wake-the-whole-orphanage?" She whispered, raising an eyebrow. I winced. The last time we had a little morning escapade, I had accidentally awoken our target before we even got in by, you guessed it, opening the door. As much as I hated it, she was right. She was so much more better at this sneaky stuff than me. Sometimes, I worry that she will be an all time theif when she grows up.

Autumn gave me the camera and opened the door, without so much as a creek. Like miniature Panthers, we snuck towards Darek's bed. I heard him snoring softly as we appeared above him. He layed sprawled over the bed, tangled in his sheets. His hand hung over the side of the bed. I glanced at Autumn and saw that she was grinning. Slowly, she slung her satchel off of her shoulders and started rummaging through it. She finally came out with a spray bottle of whipped cream and a single feather. I had to clamp my hands over my mouth to stop from giggling.

She took the cap off of it and sprayed a big pile of whipped cream on his open palm. She then replaced the cap and stuffed it in her satchel again. She took the feather, also trying not to laugh, and started to tickle his nose. We both had to try even harder not to laugh when Darek reached up with his hand to rub his face. The sight was hilarious. Whipped cream coated his whole face, hiding his vivid freckles. He had also brushed his red hair back, giving him an Elvis-got-pied look. That's when Autumn and I decided that it was time to wake sleeping beauty.

She motioned for me to go on the other side of the bed, then she pointed to Darek's head. We both grinned and started Morning Plan: Wake-up call. I tip-toed towards the other side of the bed. I accidentally stepped on a creaky floorboard, causing Darek to stir. When I finally made it to the other side of the bed, we both sighed. Autumn and I both grabbed a few hairs on his head, and on the count of three, we both yanked as hard as we could.

Darek yelped, and shot straight up in bed. It took him a few seconds to realize what was going on, and when he did, Autumn and I burst into laughter.

"And the princess awakens." Autumn said through uncontrollable giggles. That just made me laugh harder. I brought out the camera and snapped a picture.

Darek's shocked expression turned into a glare. Then he asked the most nïave question you could ask at that moment.

"What's going on?" His eyes flicked from Autumn to me to the bag on the floor.

"What's going on is that I won." Autumn said, smirking.

"Won what?"

"The bet." She dangled the stopwatch in front of his face, which read exactly 2:34 minutes. Darek's eyes widened.

I spoke up. "But, hmmm, I'm not really in the mood for torture. How 'bout you, Fruitloop?"

"Oh, I dunno, Cheerio. We can't just do this, to-and-fro." Autumn replied, signaling the rhyming.

"I do believe a store's nearby."

"I'll tell Mrs. Venedry why."

"We can go when we're done with our skating vacation."

"And when we get back there will be a relation,"

"To the fun we just had all afternoon long."

"That will end this tragic, new song."

"You get the wallet,"

"And I'll get the phone,"

We finished our poem together while looking at Darek, "And you'll be begging for mercy by the time that we're done." At that, we ran out of the room, laughing. Quickly, we grabbed the said wallet and phone, stuffed our skates in Autumn's bag, grabbed an already prepared basket for lunch, and ran out the door. Just when we thought we were home free, the orphanage owner, Mrs. Venedry, called us back.

Autumn and I hesitantly walked back, thinking we were in trouble.

"I just wanted to make sure you remembered your shoes." She said in a motherly tone. We both smiled sheepishly. We were known for our lack of shoes.

"Don't worry," I said in a reassuring tone, "we didn't forget." To prove my point, I held up my left foot which, believe it or not, had a snow boot on it. Autumn followed suit, holding up her foot for the world to see.

Mrs. Venedry laughed. "Okay, then." She smiled. Autumn and I knew very well that she thought we were cute. Sometimes it was annoying, but we were both still touched.

At that point, Autumn's patience ran out and she started tugging me towards the road to the lake. "Come on, Lynny! The whole point of getting up early is to have more time to skate! Hurry up!"

"Be careful." Mrs. Venedry called.

I laughed. "We will." Then I ran down the road with my friend, discussing what we would make Darek eat when we got back.

Little did I know, that at that moment, a white-haired boy was watching us from the top of a tree, which just so happens to be freshly frosted.

** :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)**

**There ya go! First ever chapter of my first ever fanfiction. As I said before, reviews are very much appreciated. **

**Random word that I decided to put on the AN: apricot :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**¡Hola amigos! I decided to post early. And by early, I mean REALLY EARLY. It's been at least 7 to 8 hours since I last posted, so you can just call me an over-achiever. :):) Just because I was super happy, I decided to post a nice long chapter for you guys. Why am I happy, you ask? 'Cause it could've been called a panic-attack, the way I reacted when I got my first review and follower. :):):):):):):):) Enjoy joining me in having a panic attack after you read this chapter! :):):):):):)**

Chapter 2: Jack's POV

I didn't like it. I didn't like it one bit. It was hard to tell which part of it I disliked the most. But that didn't change the fact that I was there, standing on the top of a tree, watching two young girls walk to their deaths.

Lynn and Autumn: the town pranksters. If you had no idea who they were, you would've assumed they were sisters. They looked almost exactly alike, right down to the matching snow boots. I could tell from experience that Autumn was the Head Trickster. The way she walked was so confident, and whenever she smiled she looked as if she were imagining switching your cornflakes with bird-feeder. Not to mention the fact that she carried a bag full of torture devices.

Lynn on the other hand walked with a bit more hesitation, and I could tell that she was the glue to this little book. When hard decisions needed to be made, she was the one to make them. She held her chin high, giving her an intimidating look. Lynn was the one that kept Autumn in control, the more level-headed one. But that didn't change the glint in her eye that said she wouldn't hesitate to dump ice down your shirt.

As they walked down the sidewalk, I followed, gliding from tree-branch to tree-branch. I couldn't stop thinking about how similar their goodbye was to mine, and how similar I knew their transformation would be as well. I couldn't help but wonder which one would be chosen.

As I continued to stalk them, I thought back to last night's conversation.

_FLASHBACK..._

I was flying in Scotland, coating some famous castle in a fresh layer of snow. Many of the tourists weren't very happy with the sudden snowfall, but that's just because most of said tourists were adults. The children were ecstatic, running around, trying to catch snowflakes in their small hands. I laughed at the view, happy that I could make them smile. I hovered in front of the ruins, admiring my work. With the setting sun, it looked worthy of a painting in a museum. Considering this thought, I whipped out my camera and snapped a picture.

A few days ago, out of the blue, North had given me a camera and told me to make a scrapbook for this year's Christmas. Every year, a Guardian is randomly picked to make a scrapbook for the Christmas party, and this year I had been the lucky winner. North had literally went into the workshop, picked out a high-definition camera, walked up to me and said, "Go make a scrapbook for Christmas party. Is traditional." Then walked off. I figured I had no choice, so for the past few weeks, I had been snapping pictures of Christmas related things, such as the castle I was currently at.

When I was about to go to Burgess to deliver an overnight blizzard, I saw it. The Northern Lights; the signal for the Guardians. North was calling a meeting. It was a bit early for our monthly get-together, but I headed over anyway, stopping at Burgess on the way.

When I flew through the open window to the Globe Room, I must say, I was not expecting this. It was chaos. Yetis were running around, panicking. Papers were scattered, random toy parts and ice sculptures lay forgotten on tables, cookies were ambushed by elves; I think it was safe to say the calmest thing in the workshop was Tooth.

When I entered, I flew over to the only seemingly half calm place in the whole workshop: the rafters on the roof. When things got crazy, this was my safe haven. I watched with interest as North tried to calm down the yetis. When he finally got them back in control and back to working on toys, all the Guardians gathered in the Globe Room.

"Thank you for coming, everybody." The Russian announced.

When I landed, Bunny shivered and dove for the fireplace. I snickered and sat down on the arm of the couch. When everybody was settled, Tooth asked the question that was on all of our minds.

"So, North, why did you call us?"

North sighed, as if that was the worst possible question that she could ask. After a few seconds of hesitation, he said simply, "Pitch is back."

Amazing, how three words can have such a big affect on four people. Sandy exploded in a wave of images, Tooth gasped and fluttered onto the couch, Bunny just stood there staring at North, and I laughed my head off, thinking it was a joke. I stopped laughing when I saw the look on North's face.

"You can't be serious, right?" I asked doubtfully.

"I'm afraid I've never been more serious in my life." North replied solemnly.

Bunny was the first one to talk. "Oh, Craiky. What are we gonna do?"

"I guess we do what we did last time. We go over there, kick his butt, throw a snowball at him and we're good to go!" I said cheerfully.

"It's not that simple, Frostbite." He replied coolly.

"Bunny is right on this one, Jack." North said.

Bunny grinned, and I knew he had brought our little plan into action. Suddenly, he brought out a tape-recorder and let it play. "Bunny is right on this one, Jack."

North jumped at the sound of his own voice. I grinned and then got up. "You have learned much, my apprentice." we bowed to each other, Karate style. Tooth and Sandy started laughing, Sandy's silent.

"BUNNY! JACK!" North's voice rang loud and clear throughout the workshop. Laughing, Bunny and I ran, playing the tape over and over again.

"Bunny is right on this one, Jack."

"Bunny is right on this one, Jack."

"Bunny is right on this one, Jack."

North chased Bunny throughout the Globe Room, me right behind. Suddenly, Bunny tossed the tape into the air, myself catching it. The chase reversed to North chasing me.

After a few seconds I decided to shorten it to just "Bunny is right.", as to make it more annoying. The chase went on for about thirty seconds until I flew back up to the rafters, still playing the tape repeatedly.

"Bunny is right."

"Bunny is right."

"Bunny is right."

Suddenly a blow horn sounded off. It was loud enough for everybody to have to plug their ears. When it stopped, we all saw Sandy pointing at the moon.

"Ah, Man in Moon. Is nice to see you again. Thank you for telling us, Sandy." North said. Sandy just rolled his eyes and put the horn down. Now that North had calmed down, I came back over to the group, leaving the tape recorder on top of the rafters.

The moon shone through the sky light, illuminating the Globe Room. A single beam pointed at the Guardian's plaque, forming the shadow of a figure all too familiar.

"Pitch." Bunny addressed the shadow in disgust.

"Told you." North said.

_ "Yes, fellow Guardians. I'm afraid he has returned to full strength, if not more." _A deep voice echoed in all of our minds, and I knew it was MIM.

"More? We barely defeated him last time." Tooth said, slight panic showing in her words.

Sandy wrote in cursive above his head, _ What should we do?_

_ "What we will do, Sanderson, is do what we did last time." _ Manny said. _"We will be needing a new Guardian." _ At that, the moon beam focused more onto the big "G" in the middle of the plaque. A luminescent crystal came out of the floor, lighting up the room like a disco ball. We all waited with baited breath as two forms made out of light appeared above the crystal. When they were completely formed, Bunny said, "Who the heck are they?"

Two girls, probably both around thirteen, were staring back at the Guardians. And none of us knew who they were, or why there were two images, and not one.

_"These girls are Lynn Drewnell and Autumn Evercrest. They are orphans who live in Burgess, Ohio and they will have a very big role to play in the coming battle against Pitch. Tomorrow, at about 10:00 a.m., a new Guardian will be born very much like you were, Jack."_

My eyes widened at that. The other Guardians just stared at me, wondering what he was talking about. I hadn't told them about the whole dying before becoming a spirit thing yet. I was just waiting for the right time to tell them, but I guess I didn't need to decide anymore. Manny continued talking.

"_Pitch somehow found out about this, so one of you will have to be there when it happens in order to get them to safety. Jack knows where it will go down. Good luck, Guardians."_ At that, the images faded and the crystal retracted back into the floor, and the presence of Manny was no more.

It took several minutes for the Guardians to calm down when I finished explaining. I explained the dying part all the down to the lake. After I minute of silence, Bunny spoke up. "You said that ya saved your sister, right?"

I glanced at him and replied slowly, "Um, yeah... so?"

Bunny rolled his eyes. "So, Frostbite, don't ya think that maybe one of those girls saves the other and dies?" He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"I dunno. It's a good chance." I said, shrugging.

"Then it is decided." North spoke up. "Jack, you will be one to go."

_END OF FLASHBACK..._

So here I was, stalking two girls along the street, coming up with revenge on North and Bunny, seeing they were the ones who made me go. I seriously did not want to deal with a new and confused spirit and her friend, let alone Pitch. I watched as they walked into the woods, finally coming across the lake. They eagerly got out their skates, talking about a won bet and a disgusting meal they would make the loser eat. I grinned. These girls sure were more than they looked.

After about half an hour of watching them skate, I started to wish that I could join. It was really boring just sitting there, and I think I was getting a cramp.

An hour passed and they stopped to have breakfast. At this point I was frosting random tree branches and throwing snowballs at rocks. This was really getting boring...

When another hour passed I was just about to leave when I heard it. The unmistakable sound of ice cracking. There Autumn was, in the middle of the lake, the ice about to give away from underneath her. Lynn screamed, and I fought the urge to go in and rescue Autumn. But I couldn't, because I knew if I did, then it wouldn't work. Gripping my staff, I sat back down on the tree, staring at the scene before me.

To my surprise, Autumn didn't even flinch. She just stayed still, staring at the ice beneath her. Slowly, she tried to move a foot away from the crack, but it just grew, so she stopped. Then she did something almost impossible: she balanced on one foot with the ice skates on. Slowly, she brought her left foot up to her, untying it and throwing it on the snowy grass. She then put her bare foot on the ice, and undid the right skate, also throwing it ashore. She then tried to edge her way off of the thin sheet of ice, but to no avail as it continued to crack. She looked up at Lynn.

They both seemed to have a small conversation with their eyes. They finally came to an agreement and Lynn went to go find a stick. Autumn waited patiently for her friend to return. When she came back, she had a long stick in her hand. She took off her skates so she was also barefoot and stepped onto the ice.

That's when things went wrong. She had only taken three steps before the ice cracked, and it still wasn't close enough to reach. She gave a panicked look to her friend. She said something that I couldn't here from up on the tree. Autumn said something in return that made Lynn smile with, relief?

Autumn reached into her pocket and took out a long rope. Oh.

She told Lynn something and motioned to herself. Lynn nodded and tossed Autumn the stick. She caught it easily and tied the end of the rope to it. She then threw it like a spear into the tree next to me, still holding the other end. The stick wrapped itself around a thick branch, guaranteeing a strong support. She tied the rope to her waste and tossed the end of it to Lynn. She followed suit. Together, they inched their way across the ice, making their way to the shore of the frozen lake. That's when everything went wrong.

The rope had been frayed a bit, not a lot to notice, but enough to snap if there had been pressure against it. Yeah, you see where I'm going with this. Just then, when they were only a few feet away from the shore, the ice gave away and they both plunged into the water. The line snapped, and everything was quiet. They didn't resurface. The water didn't even quiver. My eyes were wide and I was gazing at the water intently, waiting.

After a few minutes, the water started glowing silvery-blue. It got so bright that I had to shield my eyes. When the glowing subsided, something emerged from the water. Not just one something though, but two.

And that's not even the beginning of it. Yes, the Man in the Moon had made them both spirits, but not just any spirits. Right in front of me, just barely being layed back on the now completely frozen lake, were two winter spirits, so you might've just said that Manny made two more of me.

**Ooohh, looky looky, it's a cliffy. :):) Well, in my opinion, every chapter is a cliffy, so I'm not sure if that counts. Eh, whatev. I'm probably gonna spend most of my time on now, so don't worry about update delays! Yet! I don't know. So, until next time, LOCO RACCOON, OUT! PEACE! :):)**


	3. Chapter 3

** I'm so sorry, guys! I meant to update earlier, but my computer/kindle went completely wonkus on me, and it ended up deleting the whole chapter when I tried to save it! But I guess it was sort of an improvement, because this version is so much more better than the other one. Plus, I think this one is longer. Sooooo, enjoy! Please review, or I'll cut off your hand and tell you I'm your father.**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. If I did, then I think I would have had a heart attack, so I wouldn't be writing this fanfiction.

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Chapter 3: Autumn's POV

Okay, I admit, I kinda freaked out. One minute, everything is fine, we're skating, having fun, then BAM! I'm two inches away from my death. I may have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, I was having a major scream session. Okay, let's back up a bit.

Hmmm, where should I begin? Well, Jack told the skating part, boredom, talking, panic, brilliant plan formed by mwa; I think I'll start from when I first heard the ice crack.

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Fear. That's what I felt. It was almost as if I was scared against my will. As I stared at the now damaged surface, toning out Lynn's screams, I realized why I was scared. It was because of a dream. A nightmare, to be exact. I'm not usually one to get worked up over a nightmare, but this one was real. How do I know that? Because it was playing out right before my eyes. Every little detail, from the snow on the ground to the cracks in the ice, matched perfectly with my dream. It was almost as if I knew this would happen, or more so, as if somebody had told me.

In the dream, Lynn and I had been skating, as we were before. The ice had cracked and spread over to Lynn, thus making both of us fall. I guess one thing was wrong; this time it was only me.

No. Don't think like that, I thought. You are going to fall in unless you keep your head together. You _will _live. You have to. Do it for Lynn. Live for Lynn.

I took a deep breath and tried to skate away from the thin sheet of ice. It just continued to crack, so I froze. _How the heck am I supposed to do this with these skates on? _I thought. Answer: you don't. You take them off!

Easier said than done. I knew that I have good balance, heck I have great balance! Black belts in Martial Arts don't disappoint. The orphanage even had a competition for who could balance on one foot with skates the longest, which I won. But I had never tried it on the ice...

Too late for practice. Slowly, I lifted my foot up to my hands to unite it. When I got it off, I threw the skate on the grass and placed my bare foot on the ice. Then I did the same thing with my other foot until I was once again shoe-free. I smiled at my success. I glanced up to see Lynn gawking at me.

"How the heck did you do that?" She asked quietly.

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"Okay, um, try to walk over to where I am." I nodded and took a step forward. Despite the fact that I didn't have skates on, the ice continued to crack. I stopped and looked up, eyes wide.

Then I saw the fear in Lynn's eyes. Lynn Drewnell, the leader, the role model, was scared? She wasn't supposed to be scared, she was supposed to be fearless, strong, the one to rise up when nobody else would. I knew this wasn't the same Lynn that I knew. Something wasn't right. The fear in her eyes looked, forced. As if something with a bad aura was lurking somewhere. I didn't know just how right I was.

No, Jack. I want talking about you. Shut up, I'm trying to tell a story. Well, if you can see that, then why aren't you being quiet?

I knew that Lynn wasn't completely empty of bravery, she just need a push. She needed encouragement. So, even though I was scared out of my mind, I pretended the crack in the ice wasn't there and gave Lynn an expectant look.

She looked confused for a second, then she realized what I was trying to say and rushed off to find a stick. Before she took off into the woods, she too removed her skates, though not with as much style as me.

I waited for Lynn to return, trying to move as little as possible. I scanned the woods around me, trying to give myself something to do. My eyes landed on a specifically frosted tree and I tried not to shout. There, sitting on one of the high branches, was a boy, and for some reason he was staring at me. He was stalking me, I realized. I was just about to yell at him when Lynn returned, then all thoughts of Stalker Boy had dissipated.

Yes, Jack, I saw you. How could I not? You were as bright as day, just sitting there. And for the record, you need to work on your stalker skills. What do you mean, I'm not supposed to be talking about these things in the microphone? I'm talking to you, so unless you turned into a winter spirit/microphone hybrid, maybe you should keep your mouth... Oh. Oops. Ack, forget I said any of that!

Shut up, Jack.

Anyways, where was I before Stalker Boy interrupted? Oh, right, the stick.

So, when Lynn got back, she immediately rushed over to me. That was a mistake. The stick was still a foot away from my finger tips when suddenly, the crack spread out towards Lynn, trapping is both on the ice. Her fear returned, and suddenly the scene was looking much more familiar.

Then an idea popped into my head. I thought over it, making sure it would work. When I was satisfied with the results, I decided to tell Lynn, but my way.

"Lynny, what do we do when a test gets too hard?" I asked in an innocent tone. She just stared at me like I was crazy.

"We cheat." I answered for her, pulling a long rope out of my pocket. She smiled, once again tension-free. "I'm gonna need the stick." I said, motioning to myself.

She nodded and tossed it to me. I caught it with ease and immediately started to tie them together. Then I threw it into the tree next to Stalker Boy, trying to get him to jump at least. As I made sure the stick was wrapped firmly around the tree branch, I made a mental note to knock that creep right out of the tree and drag him to the police station.

I tied the rope around my waste and tossed the other end to Lynn, who did the same. We then slowly crept towards the shore of the lake, trying to stear clear of cracks. We were only a few yards away. Maybe that dream was just paranoia, maybe it was a fake. We were so close to freedom, we were home free!

Then the ice caved in, taking us with it. We were plunged into the freezing water, suddenly overcome by fear. We both fought, trying to get to the surface, trying to get air. Then all of a sudden, my arms went numb. So did my legs. I couldn't swim. All I could do was let gravity drag me to the bottom, where I would probably stay for a long time. Slowly, my eyes closed, and I let the last of my breath out.

At least I'm not alone, I thought. For the first time in my life, I had somebody like a family with me. I wouldn't die alone. I smiled at the thought as my life slowly lifted away. The last thing I remember is a bluish glow and the moon staring down at me.

**Ha ha ha ha ha! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even though it was a filler chappy. I know some of you are dissapointed that the Bunny Blow-out reaction wasn't in this chapter, but I can promise you that it will be in the next one. And it will be gooood. :):):):):):) Heh, I think it's funny that most of us expect Bunny to go freak out mode when he finds out that there will be two more Jacks. Welp, LOCO RACCOON, OUT! PEACE!**

**Random word in the AN: snickerdoodle**


	4. Chapter 4

**'Sup, guys! I have worked extra hard on this chapter, so it's gonna be awesome! We meet some more people in this, so it's stock full of descriptions and stuff, but this is also where we see Bunny's reaction to Autumn and Lynn. :):) And just a heads up, I'm leaving for camp this Monday, so I won't be posting until the end of the week. :( Eh, whatev. You may now read the next chapter. :):):):):):):):) **

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. Darn. I wish, though.

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Chapter 4: Lynn's POV

Okay, I guess now it doesn't matter if I give away the fact that we're recording this story, since AUTUMN ALREADY GAVE IT AWAY. It completely ruined the awesome book-like sound of it, which was the whole purpose of recording it. Whatever, let's just get this over with.

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I awoke to something hard poking my head. I didn't feel the cold wind, the ice beneath me, not even the steady spreading of frost on my clothes. All I felt was the annoying, I think it was a stick, stabbing at my head. I rolled over, thinking it was just Autumn trying to get me out of bed. When the poking continued, I swatted at it, hoping she would get the message and stop. After a few minutes, I thought she had finally stopped only to be proven wrong when I felt something stab at my back.

Steaming, I grabbed it in a quick motion and used it to whack the nuisance in the head, all without looking. I heard the expected "Ow!" that followed, but what I didn't expect is it to be in a boy's voice. Where was Autumn? Wait... Autumn! Skating! Ice! Ack!

I shot straight up, scanning my surroundings. As I had feared, I was in the forest where the lake was. I was sitting on the now completely frozen lake, but strangely enough, it wasn't cold. I didn't give it a second thought when I spotted the person that had been poking me.

The strange boy was rubbing his forehead, which was apparently where I had hit him. He had snow-white, messy hair that hung over his eyes. And, wow, his eyes. I was once told that the window to people's minds are their eyes, and this guy had a lot to tell. They were an icy blue, and looked full of mischief and fun, like he didn't have a care in the world. Even though he looked about the age of fourteen, his eyes looked as if they'd seen quite a bit more than that. They had that sort of ancient look to them, and I knew there was more to this boy than meets the eye (no pun intended). Other than that, he was wearing a blue hoodie and brown, tattered pants that were held together by leather straps. He was holding a shepard's staff in his left hand, which was apparently what he had been poking me with. Everything he wore and held was covered in frost, and his skin was an unhealthy looking pale. I saw that he also wore no shoes.

In other words, he was either homeless, or he had a very strange sense of style.

Oh, shut up, Jack. You know it's true.

Anyways, after I had been awoken by the mysterious walking-alarm clock, I immediately started to look for Autumn. I spotted her lying on the lake, a few feet away from me. Panicking, I rushed over to her, all thoughts of the boy forgotten as I checked for a pulse. When I didn't find one, I started to panic even more, trying to find any signs of life. No pulse, no heart-beat, she could've been dead!

"You know, you're not going to find a pulse or anything, if that's what you're looking for. Neither of you have one." I jumped at the voice before realizing it was the boy. I turned my head to look at him. He seemed sad and expectant, as if daring me to check. With shaking hands, I lifted my wrist up to my hand, checking for a pulse. Nothing.

Then it dawned on me. How did this stranger know what had happened to us? How did he even know where we would be? With this in mind, I grabbed the nearest thing in sight and pointed it at him.

With a start, I realized that the thing in my hand was some sort of wooden scepter. The wood was smooth at the handle, then started to twist in a spiral as it went up. At the tip of it, the spiral split into separate spirals, all twisting into a cocoon shape at the top. The cocoon had small gaps in it, revealing a small, silvery orb floating in the middle. The orb glowed a silvery-blue, radiating a sort of power from it. Ignoring it, I continued to point the scepter at the boy.

"Who are you, and how did you know about that?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him. He looked at the scepter warily, like he'd been expecting it to be pointed at him at some point. He sighed, and looked me straight in the eyes.

"My name," he said, "is Jack Frost, and the only reason I knew about your lack of a heart-beat is because the same thing happened to me."

I raised my eyebrows. "And that would be..?"

Jack shrugged. "Drowning in a lake and becoming a spirit. Well, this specific lake, actually. I guess it has a reputation for doing that." I blinked. I was dead? I was a spirit? Like the kind of spirit that haunts castles and houses that we get dared to enter on Halloween? Was I going to have to haunt this lake or something?

The idea was too abnormal, I had to laugh. Jack just stared at me. "What?"

I stopped laughing and grinned at him. "You seriously expect me to believe that I am dead? That I'm some sort of spirit? Yeah, not gonna happen. I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, especially ones that bleach their hair."

Jack folded his arms and smirked. "Oh, really? Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

I frowned. "What are you...?" wait a minute. Eyes wide, I quickly grabbed a strand of my hair and held it up to my face. It was pure white.

Now panicking, I scanned my surroundings, looking for anything that could be used for a mirror. When I found that I was standing on one, I dropped to my knees, examining the ice. I was almost unrecognizable. My hair was now even shorter, only an inch below my ears. My eyes were no longer blue, only to be replaced by a bright purple. My skin was pale, so my freckles were now very light. I was wearing, oh my gosh, what was I wearing?!

I had on a purple, long-sleeved shirt with a thick, neon blue trim. I was wearing navy blue, cotton pants and a leather belt, which for some reason had a loop on it for holding something. I later found out that it was for my scepter. I noticed that I was barefoot, but I didn't feel the cold. All of my clothes were coated in frost.

Slowly, I stood up, eyes still on the ice. I didn't notice that I was clutching my scepter tightly, holding it to my chest like a teddy bear.

I finally found my voice. "W-what happened to me?" I asked softly. I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I didn't push away. Instead, I looked over to Jack, afraid of what he would say next.

"It will be okay," he said, giving me a small smile. "Everything always works out in the end. Sometimes, you just have to have fun with it." I smiled back, happy that he could give me advice, even though I just met him.

"Thanks. I'm not sure if I've introduced myself. My name's Lynn." I held out my hand to shake. At first, he looked at it like it was going to shock him, but eventually he shook it.

We looked at each other for a moment, but then I remembered Autumn. I looked back at her, and my eyebrows creased with worry. "Is Autumn going to be okay?" I asked, walking back over to her and kneeling down.

I just barely noticed that her appearance had changed, too. Her hair was now also white, but a bit more purer than mine or Jack's. It was braided down the side with a green hair-tie. Her skin was pale, and she was also barefoot. She no longer had her jacket, but her green shirt had changed a bit. The sleeves now went to her elbows and the trim was now thicker and a neon blue, like mine. She was wearing long, cotton pants like mine, only hers were sky blue. She still had her satchel, but she also had a quiver full of arrows and a bow. Her clothes were also covered in frost.

"Yes," Jack answered, "She'll be fine. She's just sleeping." I sighed in relief. I glanced at Jack and noticed that he was looking around warily.

"Hey, um, is something wrong?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at me, just barely noticing what he'd been doing. "No, nothing's wrong. Just a bit jumpy, that's all." He grinned, sheepishly. I was still suspicious, but I let the matter drop.

Carefully, I picked up Autumn and carried her over to the lake's edge, setting her down at the foot of a tree. Jack followed, obviously trying not to feel awkward.

"So, Jack," I said, sitting down and motioning for him to do the same, "why are you here? How did you know what happened to Autumn and I?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story." He said, sitting down next to me, laying his staff across his lap.

I raised my eyebrows. "There's time."

Suddenly, Autumn stirred. She sat up, yawning and stretching. When her eyes landed on Jack and I, they widened. I saw that they were now an emerald green, replacing the vivid turquoise they used to be.

Finally she spoke in only the rapid way that she can speak. "Oh my gosh, Lynn! What the heck did you do to your hair? Wait a minute. Weren't we skating? Wha- oh. My. Gosh. Am I dead? Is this heaven? Am I a ghost? Who's that guy? Is he a ghost too? Is this a dream? Am I hallucinating? Where did you get that stick-thingy? Where did I get this bow? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?! Why is my skin pa-" I clamped my hand over her mouth, hoping to shut her up. Jack just sat there, laughing his head off, until I clamped my other hand over his mouth too.

I was just about to explain to Autumn what was going on, when suddenly we all heard an evil laughter echo throughout the forest. I noticed how it grew steadily darker, how I started to see figures moving in the shadows, how Jack's eyes narrowed. I removed my hands and the three of us stood. Autumn was already pulling her bow back, ready to shoot an arrow that I just noticed was made of ice. Jack got in a defensive position, staff ready. I pulled out my scepter and got ready to defend myself as well.

"My, my, what a pleasant surprise. Two new winter spirits. I guess I should start calling the Guardians 'The Big Seven'. But what's the point, when in the end, there really won't be any 'big' to it, I guess."

Suddenly, a figure melted out of the shadows in the middle of the lake, forming an unfamiliar person. He wore a black robe and tights and his hair was brushed back, also black. His skin looked coarse, like it was made of stone. His grey eyes glistened in the little light there was, making them look gold.

"What do you want, Pitch?" Jack asked, his eyes filled with hate.

Pitch sighed in annoyance. "Well, I thought that would be obvious, Jack. I think you may be losing your touch. And quite soon, at that. How long has it been? Only nine months, I believe. Well, if I must tell you, I'm just here to pick up my new fearlings." At the last sentence, he grinned maliciously. Horse-like creatures came out of the shadows and surrounded us. There must have been over 80 of them.

The second Autumn's arrow went flying at Pitch, we were plunged into battle. Side by side, we destroyed the horses, which apparently explode into some kind of black sand. I used my scepter, which I found can shoot beams of ice at things with a little concentration. When the horses got too close for bows and arrows, Autumn randomly grabbed something in her bag and drew out an ice sword. Grinning, she started to use that. Jack shot beams of frost at the horses, destroying most of them. When there were only a few left, the rest fled, and Pitch stepped forward. I noticed he was holding three balls of black sand. Suddenly, he threw them at all of us, each one with a specific target.

Autumn, Jack, and I held hands and closed our eyes, waiting for the blow. It never came. Slowly, we opened our eyes to find a blue force field surrounding us. Pitch stood on the other side, trying to break it with little success. He scowled at us.

"I'll be back, in due time." Pitch was about to turn and leave when we all started laughing.

"Seriously, Pitch? That's the best you could come up with?" Jack said, holding his stomach.

"I'll be back. Mwa ha ha." Autumn imitated in a deep voice. Jack and I laughed even harder.

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up! We'll be sure to add tons of security!" I added. We cracked up. Pitch apparently didn't find our jokes funny, because he just growled.

Jack suddenly reached into his pocket and took out a snow globe. He whispered something to it and smashed it into the ground. A sort of portal popped up, swirling in the image of some kind of room.

"See ya, Gothman." Then he jumped into the portal, but not before motioning for us to follow.

"We'll be back, um, never." I said. Then I followed Jack into the portal. I just barely heard Autumn say, "I'll tell you when I find your eyebrows." before she jumped in as well.

After lots of spinning, we finally crashed into on the floor, and by crashed, I mean that quite literally. Jack had just gotten to his feet when I landed on him, knocking him down. Then Autumn landed on me just before the portal closed.

"Ack, Lynn, get off! Your crushing me!" Jack said, trying to get out from under Autumn and I.

"You know, I would, if Autumn would get off of me!" I said, also trying to get up.

"Who? Me?" Autumn asked, innocently, "Actually, I'm pretty tired. Maybe I'll take a nap right here." She fake yawned.

"Autumn!" We both yelled.

"Autumn is no longer here. I am Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker, I am your father."

"AUTUMN!"

"Okay, fine. I'm getting off. Keep your heads on." When Autumn finally relieved me of her weight, I got up and we both helped Jack up. That's when we noticed the other occupants of the room we were in.

I recognized them as Santa Clause, Sandman, The Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. And they were all staring at us. It was Santa that broke the silence.

"Well, hello, Autumn and Lynn. Is nice to meet you. I hope your travels were well." He said, cheerfully. Autumn and I smiled at the jolly man.

North continued. "I believe introductions will be necessary. You've both obviously met Jack, of course. I am North, but you probably know me best as Santa. This is Sandy, or Sandman. This is Tooth, or the Tooth Fairy, and this is Bunny, also known as the Eas-"

"Wait," Bunny spoke up, "please tell me you two aren't winter spirits, are you?" He had a look of desperation in his eyes, and I knew that Jack was a nuisance to Bunny.

"I'm sorry, but I must not tell lies." I smiled, innocently. Autumn just laughed.

At this, Bunny's eyes widened. "Um, may I be excused?" He asked calmly. North nodded. By the time Bunny was out of the, I think it was an office, we immediately heard the reaction.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THERE'S TWO MORE OF 'EM!"

Autumn, Jack, and I just looked at each other and grinned.

**Wazzup? Did ya like it? Hate it? Love it? Wanna worship it? Wanna toss it out the window? Whatev, just please leave a review! And to those who are wondering about the recent Star Wars quotes, no, I am not a fan of Star Wars. I watch it every now and then, but I'm not that big of a fan. (No, that doesn't mean I'm a Star Trek fan either. I like them equally.) And as always, LOCO RACCOON, OUT! PEACE!**

**Random word in the AN: shotgun. (But there's no car ride!) :):) **


	5. Chapter 5

**'Sup dudes! I'm back with an all new chapter, and trust me, this will both answer and raise questions. You will not be disappointed. I added a bit of some drama in this, so it's more awesome, but I didn't let off on the comedy any much than the last chapters, so be warned. :):) Please review! I die of happiness whenever I get one!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians. DreamWorks holds that amazing privilage. Lucky.

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Chapter 5: Jack's POV

Hello, fellow people who fell asleep during the last two chapters. I am here to relieve you of that boredom, because I'm the one who gets to explain the reaction of the Easter Kangar-

OH NO YOU DON'T, JACK! GIMME THAT RECORDER!

*CRASH*

Heh heh heh.

BUNNY, GET BACK HERE!

NOT UNTIL I GET A WORD IN THIS CHAPTER! IT'S 'BOUT ME SO I HAVE RIGHTS!

*SLAM* *click*

Chapter 5: Bunny's POV

Pfft, Jack thinks he can get away with making me look bad. Not on my watch, he doesn't.

Okay, I better get this done quickly before the little Frostbites get back-up. Now before I get started, I'd just like everybody to know that I am fully aware that I overreacted a bit. Ya can' blame me; that winter sprite is always pulling pranks on everybody. Now he's got sidekicks.

I'll start, um, craikey. Don't know where they left off. Uh, I'm guessing maybe around the time I courageously fled the room full of enemy Snowflakes.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The minute I found out that they were winter spirits, I knew they would be almost identical to Jack. Their personalities were similar, that much was clear. So, like any smart pooka, I got out of there ASAP. I got a few confused looks from some yetis when I warned them, but other than that, nobody took any awarence of the danger they were in.

The plan was to escape, warn the other prank victims, and walk back into the room as if nothing had happened. The second part didn't work so well, so I had no choice but to return to my fellow Guardians.

Much to my annoyance, the triplets were grinning mischievously at each other, as if they had already found a way to torture innocent pookas. For all I knew, I was probably right.

Grumbling, I walked back over to where I was sitting before, keeping my head down. North cleared his throat and continued the pep talk he was giving Autumn and Lynn. Before he started, Jack flew over to Sandy and Tooth, standing in between them. Lynn and Autumn seemed a bit surprised by him flying, but they shrugged it off.

"Well, now that you have met all of us, we should probably get started." North said in his usual jolly accent.

Autumn raised an eyebrow. "Um, get started with what?" Lynn looked just as confused. North, despite himself, looked confused as well.

"Did Jack not explain why you became spirits? Or why you came here?" He asked.

Autumn's eyes widened. "What do you mean, spirits? Am I a ghost?" I saw Lynn roll her eyes. "He explained the spirit thing to me, but other than that, he didn't really get a chance."

I sat up at that. What happened? Did they just leave immediately, or was it Pitch?

"Pitch attacked before I could say anything else." Jack answered. Knew it.

Autumn was still freaking out a bit. "I'm a spirit?" She asked with an exasperated expression.

Tooth looked at her sympathetically. "Don't worry, spirit is just an expression we use for immortals. You should be perfectly fine." I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Tooth to be the mother.

"Well, didn't Jack say they would probably drown before they became spirits? They're probably dead." I said. Now it was Lynn's turn to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed the lack of my pulse a long time ago. Pretty hard to miss." She said, matter of factly. I saw Autumn panicking, checking her pulse.

But Lynn had said the wrong thing. Tooth immediately went into protective-mother mode.

"What do you mean, lack of pulse?!" She flew over to Jack. "Since when do you not have a pulse?!" She grabbed his wrist, checking for signs of life.

I looked at Jack sympathetically. When Tooth had touched him unexpectedly, he had jumped, his eyes widening a bit. The poor Frostbite had gone without physical contact of living beings for over three hundred years. Now that he was a Guardian, he was still getting used to the fact that we didn't pass through him, as if he really was a ghost. I felt a pang of guilt whenever he did this.

"Tooth, really, I'm fine. It's completely normal to not have a pulse when you're dead." He reassured her, trying to get her to stop playing doctor.

Again, wrong thing said. This time it was Autumn's turn to overreact.

"I'm dead?! I drowned?! Is this heaven?! Am I gonna have to haunt that lake or something?!" She said, fast enough that I barely understood. Lynn snorted, but for what reason, I didn't know.

Jack face palmed while Sandy and North tried to calm Autumn down. When they finally succeeded, North began to explain. He told them how the Man in the Moon had chosen them, how we were the Guardians of Childhood, how the Boogeyman was threatening the children and wanted to engulf the world in fear, and how they somehow had a role to play in all of this. It was a lot to take in, if you thought about it, but the two friends managed. In the end, Autumn was grinning.

"So, I'm like, dead? Technically?" She asked. Sandy nodded, and her grin widened.

"Cool. Does that mean I'm a zombie?" I rolled my eyes, again. This girl was seriously ADD. Well, then again, they were copies of Jack, so what did I expect?

Said winter sprite grinned. "Y'know, I never really thought of that." Of course.

North smiled. "Well, now that we all understand, you must take oath. That is, if you want to become Guardians?" I slumped in my chair, expecting them to immediately reject. If they were anything like Jack, they wouldn't want to be spending eternity doing work.

They glanced at each other, and seemed to come to an understanding. I looked more closely at their faces, and found something I didn't expect to see. Longing, desperation, eagerness, and loneliness were written all over their faces. They looked back at North, and Lynn answered for both of them.

"We're ready to take the oath." My jaw dropped.

North nodded, and jestered for them to follow him. Before they left the room, North said, "Jack, you need to come too. Since you are still new Guardian, I haven't gotten to show you something important. All Guardians must know of it."

I smirked. I knew exactly what North was talking about. He was going to show them where the Book of Guardians was kept. It was our most prized and important possession, and we protected it along with the children. Why do we guard it? Because it is magical. It was given to the first Guardian by MIM, only to be used in the most desperate emergencies, and of course for new Guardians.

We waited for only a few minutes when they returned. North barged in, but something wasn't right. He looked frantic and panicky.

"The Book, it's gone."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

*crackle*

What was that? Wha- Oh no. Why is the door frozen?

*SHATTER*

Aahh- um, hi Jack. Autumn. Lynn. What're you doin' here?

Getting our recorder back. Hand it over.

No need to be pushy, Lynn. I just finished the chapter, so I'm done with it.

YOU WHAT?!

It's okay, Autumn. It's not like he's saved it yet. It'll just delete when we turn it off.

*smirk* Don't be too sure 'bout that, Jack. *raises paw above save button*

No, wait!

Too late.

*BEEP*

** Oh yeah! I just ended on a cliffhanger, what now?! :):):):):):) I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the rest! Thank you for the reviews and faves! It's so heart-warming to know that people like my work. **

**Jack- Stop being sappy. I think I'm gonna barf.**

**Me- Oh, come on! I know you like having fans just as much as I do.**

**Lynn- Please don't start that now! I'm still recovering from the last argument you two had.**

**Jack- Um, last time? This is the first time I've met the author. **

**Me- *laughs* oh, clueless.**

**Jack- What?**

**Lynn- Izane is Autumn.**

**Jack- Whaaaaa?**

**Me- That's right, folks. This story stars my friend, Jack, and I. Really, it just started as a little mini story on an email, then I decided that it was too awesome to be ignored, so I made it a story.**

**Jack- *whispers* who is she talking to?**

**Lynn- *whispers* I dunno. You think she finally lost it?**

**Jack- It's a good chance.**

**Me- *sigh* clueless, clueless. Well, LOCO RACCOON OUT! PEACE!**

**Random word in the AN: sushi (yum)**


	6. Chapter 6

** I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SO VERY VERY SORRY! Before you kill me for updating late, I have a completely plausible excuse. First of all, I had my first case of writers block. In short, it sucked. Also, I've been attacked by plot bunnies on completely different crossover ideas and fanfics, that it's all I could think about and it was hard to concentrate on the one story. THEN *gasp for air* my kindle decided to hate me when I finally was almost done, and the internet started spazzing out on me and wouldn't load. I finally fixed it long enough to finish and post this chapter. *sigh* finally. But, hey! The Writers Block of Doom got bored of me and left, so I'm free! (Except for school.*gag*) I'll still post next weekend, like I promised, so, yeah. I'm gonna stop talking now.**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. *holds back cry of despair*

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Chapter 6: Jack's POV (hey, Autumn, can you pad-lock the door?)

Finally got the recorder back. Geez, I told him not to interrupt! But nooooo, he had to be the attention-seeking rabbit he is and go steal it. I don't think I want to know what he put on this. Probably just rambled on about how Easter is better than Christmas. Whatever, better finish this quick before the rest of the Guardians decide to play Follow-the-Leader.

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"THE BOOK IS WHAT?!"

I wasn't surprised by their reaction. From how North was explaining it, I half expected the world to end right then and there. It seemed pretty important, so when North showed us an empty bookcase, I had to double-check to see if I was seeing things. As soon as he discovered the Book to be missing, he kind of had a mini panic-attack and ran out.

By the time we had caught up, he had already told the others, and our little trio was greeted by those four simple words being screamed by everybody in the room, minus Sandy.

"It's gone! Missing! Slipped right out of our fingers!" North took a deep breath and collapsed on the nearest armchair, rubbing his temples.

To say Bunny was surprised would be an understatement.

"How is the Book missing?!" He said, exasperated. "I thought you said that the security was overkill! That not even Mother Nature could get in withou' permission! Who in their right mind would try and steal the Book of Guardians, let alone succeed?!"

"Pitch." North replied solemnly.

The silence that followed was so thick with tension, it felt like we were swimming in it. We all stared off into space, lost in our own thoughts. Autumn and Lynn were, no doubt, scared out of their wits. They hadn't even become Guardians yet, and there was already danger. Even though we all new that, they still hid it well.

How soon was it stolen? We had just seen him under two hours ago, yet we had defeated him easily, unless he let us win...

Or unless he was saving energy for an even more atrocious attack. My head was swarming with thoughts; the possibilities were endless. Thinking about Pitch, my thoughts were lead to the blue shield that had stopped his attack.

_I never remember having a power like that, _I thought, _and Autumn and Lynn are still new spirits, so there's no way they could unlock a power so, well, powerful._

My train of thought was quickly stopped before I could continue to look into the matter, though. North stood, making it apparent that he was going to say something.

"Well, no point in sitting around. Book will not find itself. We need to get that book back at all costs. Any ideas on where it might be?" He looked around the room, hoping to see somebody step up with information. I thought about it for a moment, and I remembered his lair in Burgess. I hesitantly raised my hand.

"Well, there's his lair in Burgess. It closed up after the nightmares, but if he's escaped, it might be open. We could try there." Everyone stared at me. I raised an eyebrow defensively. "What?"

"That was, actually pretty smart, Frostbite." Bunny said, surprised. I didn't see what was so surprising.

I folded my arms. "So what? The Guardian of Fun can't be smart now? Last time I checked, I have a brain."

I barely heard Bunny mutter something about being more concerned whether it worked or not, when Tooth interrupted, possibly sensing another verbal battle between us.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is the problem at hand. We have a possible location, so it can't hurt to check." She said, oddly sounding like North. Said Russian replied quickly, "Right. Everyone, to the sleigh!"

I grinned and immediately bolted for the door. Just as I was about to shut it, I heard Lynn say skeptically, "What do you mean, sleigh?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Whoa."

"Double whoa."

"Amazing."

"I think I'm in love."

"I think I'm gonna puke."

Autumn and Lynn stared at Bunny as if he said he'd canceled Easter, while I rolled my eyes, expecting that kind of reaction from the earth-bound rabbit. I was already in the back of the sleigh, waiting for the rest of the Guardians to arrive and for the expected reaction from the newbies.

"Cottontail's afraid of heights." I explained, swinging my staff around nonchalantly. At that moment, the rest of the Guardians arrived.

The two girls were about to join me on the sleigh when North stopped them. "Sorry, Autumn. Lynn. You can't go this time."

"What?!" They both yelled at the same time.

"Pitch has made it apparent that he wants to capture you both and use you for his own personal gain. Is too dangerous. Not to mention you are both new spirits, still getting used to new powers. You must stay here." He explained, obviously not liking it either.

"Come on, North! They've fought Pitch before, I've seen them! They're really good!" I protested, trying to back them up. Either it wasn't good enough, or North was deciding to hate me at that moment.

"You are staying too, Jack." Surprise.

"WHAT?!"

North sighed. "You know very well that Pitch is after you, also. Plus this way, you can teach our new Guardians how to use their powers correctly. Please understand, this is for the better."

I was starting to panic. "But, what if he's more powerful than last time? What if I need to be there, but I'm not, and then what if he gets the upper hand, and then he, he..." I looked worriedely at each of the Original Guardians, concerned for every one of them. I finally meet Sandy's eyes, the one I was most worried about. After last time, I wasn't completely sure if he'd make it again. I still hadn't exactly forgiven myself from last time, and I really didn't want to relive the sorrow I had felt that day. He simply looked at me sympathetically, as if sensing my emotions. He wrote above his head in cursive, '_ We'll be fine, Jack. We've faced him before."_

"Sandy's right, Jack. We can handle ourselves. Even if he did get the upper hand, I doubt he'd be able to do any real damage." Tooth pitched in, though I think she was having trouble convincing herself of that. "Besides, it's just a scout-out." Little did she know that that was what was bothering me.

"Here, Jack." North handed me a walki-talki. "It's long-range. We will call if we need help. Just press the big button on the side to talk." At that, he hopped into the sleigh, readying the reigns. "Bunny, what are you waiting for? Get in!"

As Bunny passed me, he ruffled my already messy hair. "Promise not to break too many things while we're gone." He said, hesitantly stepping onto the rickety sleigh.

I grinned, stuffing the walki-talki into my pocket. "Can't make a promise you know you're gonna break." Bunny just rolled his eyes.

Autumn and Lynn, who had been mesmerized by the reindeer, came back to stand next to me. Just as the sleigh started to move, we waved to all the older Guardians, me worrying for the well-being of the only family I had ever known in the past three-hundred years.

Suddenly, I spun on Autumn and Lynn, giving them my signature lop-sided grin and forgetting all thoughts of non-fun-stuff that I had before.

"So, we have snowboarding, snowball fights, a special training room that adjusts to your specific needs, North's secret cookie stash, a tour of the workshop, prank-calling the Groundhog, and bugging Phil. Which first?"

** I'M FINALLY DONE! :):):):):):) Heh heh heh, this is where the tension starts to build up...**

**Jack- *stares at chapter* I'm gonna kill you.**

**Me- *looks innocent* what did I do?**

**Jack- I do not get emotional like that!**

**Lynn- *rolls eyes* sure you don't.**

**Me- anyways, hope you enjoyed! (Can't believe I made it this far!) Please review, tell me if you liked it, tell me what you would like to happen, and most importantly, REVIEW! :):):):):):):):):):) you know you want to... so shiny... LOCO RACCOON, OUT! PEACE! **

**Random word in the AN: banana (must, stop, Ack, being, grrr, hungry...)**


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